Philippines: Health Warning Concern Aired

Source from:  Philippines News  06/04/2014

An anti-tobacco advocate, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, expressed alarm yesterday over attempts by the tobacco industry to undermine the Graphic Health Warning bill being debated on the Senate floor.

The group expressed concern that the bill might be made ineffective by its weak provisions such as small, ineffective warnings at the bottom of the pack, long phase-in period and an alleged tobacco industry interference in the make-up of the warnings in the measure.

Amendments accepted last week in the Senate included mandating the Department of Health (DOH) to consider recommendations of the tobacco industry in developing the picture health warnings, spokesmen said during a briefing at the Senate press office before the Senate was scheduled to deliberate on the bill.

As it stands now, the tobacco industry succeeded in reducing the size of the graphic health warning to no more than 50 percent, the group pointed out.

The group stressed that following best practices worldwide, it should be at least 80 percent of the pack. Enditem